6 tips to decorate for the holidays more sustainably with the ReStore
The holidays are just around the corner, and it all kicks off with spooky season as soon as the weather cools and pumpkin-spice-flavored anything returns to stores. You’ve probably already started sorting through all your existing decorations to take stock of what you have and what you’ll need to make your decorating dreams come to life this year.
Getting festive can be a huge mood booster and community builder, but holiday decorations can also contribute heavily to pollution during production and at the end of an item’s life. It’s so easy to get caught up in chasing the trendy aesthetics online and all the new monsters & mummies popping up on the shelves big-box stores.
This holiday season, ask yourself what steps you can take to help make sure our shared home, Earth, is a healthy place to celebrate holidays long into the future:
Challenge yourself to…
Host a decoration swap with your friends and neighbors to extend the life of your usable items. You can also join a local Buy Nothing or similar group to find new homes for your old decorations. Try this before you decide to trash or donate.
Use natural items! Purchase real pumpkins from a local grower or collect leaves, twigs, and acorns to decorate a wreath.
Consider what will happen to items long-term before they come home with you. Will it end up falling apart in two years or is it something you can pass on when you’re done with it. Is it something that may be trendy this year, but will end up in your attic takin gup space for the next 10 years?
Avoid impulse buying brand new items by taking a picture of it on your phone. If you’re still thinking about how perfect it would look a couple days later and you just couldn’t make it yourself or find something similar second-hand, then go back to the store and buy it. These items are mass produced, so it’s very likely you’ll still be able to buy it. However, if you spot an item you love at a secondhand store - buy it; you likely won’t come across it again.
Transform old decorations or would-be trash items into handcrafted decorations with a personal touch! Can you spray paint that old plastic decoration into a new color? Are those online shopping boxes looking like DIY gravestones or bats? Get creative!
Commit to buying at least one holiday decoration secondhand, such as at the Habitat ReStore! Try to find what you’re looking for at a resell store before buying new. Head to our Facebook or Instagram to get started on your holiday décor search.